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were detained vs were being detained

Both "were detained" and "were being detained" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Were detained" is used to indicate that someone was held in custody in the past, while "were being detained" is used to show that someone was in the process of being held in custody at a specific point in the past.

Last updated: March 19, 2024 • 611 views

were detained

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that someone was held in custody in the past.

This phrase is used to describe a situation where someone was held in custody in the past. It is a simple past passive construction.

Examples:

The suspects were detained by the police for questioning.
He was detained at the airport for carrying prohibited items.
The protesters were detained by the authorities.
The criminals were detained by the security guards.
She was detained by immigration officials for further investigation.

Show examples from the web [+]

tr.v. de·tained, de·tain·ing, de·tains. 1. To keep from proceeding; delay or retard: Our friends were detained by heavy traffic. 2. To keep in custody or confinement: ...
Dec 11, 2015 ... China's top bankers who “disappeared,” were detained, or died unnaturally this year. Written by. Zheping Huang. Obsession. China's Transition.
At any one time about 200 to 300 males and 30 to 50 females were detained at Angel Island. Most were new arrivals, but some were returning residents whose ...
Women and children were detained until their safety after they left Ellis Island was assured. A telegram, letter, or prepaid ticket from waiting relatives was usually ...

Alternatives:

got detained
were arrested
were held in custody
were taken into custody
were apprehended

were being detained

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate that someone was in the process of being held in custody at a specific point in the past.

This phrase is used to describe a situation where someone was in the process of being held in custody at a specific point in the past. It is a past continuous passive construction.

Examples:

They were being detained by the border patrol when the incident occurred.
The suspects were being detained for further questioning when the lawyer arrived.
She was being detained at the police station while her family was contacted.
The activists were being detained by the security forces during the protest.
He was being detained by the immigration officers for not having proper documentation.

Show examples from the web [+]

They could not understand why they and their children were being detained there in such bad living conditions. They were in distress and had given up hope, ...
... and sometimes of sorrow, since most families would be reunited after the lengthy process and others would find out that their loved ones were being detained.
Grant's former girlfriend, Sophina Mesa, testified she called Grant while he and his friends were being detained and he said, "They're beating us up for no ...
Immigrants who were being detained were often brought down the center aisle. People who were traveling west or south walked down the right side of the ...

Alternatives:

were in the process of being detained
were getting detained
were being held in custody
were being taken into custody
were being apprehended

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